This invention relates generally to cooking apparatus, and more specifically concerns improvements in the efficiency of barbecue equipment wherein artificial briquettes are used.
In the past, the expense of charcoal briquettes has resulted in the substitution of ceramic briquettes or lava rocks. These are commonly piled on top of one another to form a bed supported on a grid above a flame source. The latter may for example include gas burners from which flames rise to heat the bed. Disadvantages and problems include the height of the briquette bed which adds to the height of the cooking apparatus; the deterioration of the bottom grate which supports the bed due to direct flame contact with the metal, rusting and corrosion; and the relatively high expense of the briquettes or lava rocks plus that of the heavy bottom grate. No way was known, prior to the present invention, to eliminate these problems, and particularly in the novel and surprisingly efficient and simple manner as is now afforded by the present application.